ORLANDO, FLA. -- On just about any team in a bowl game, there are players with bittersweet recollections of big games won and lost.

Michael DeMocker / The Times-PicayuneLSU senior Harry Coleman (24) says he doesn't want to end his college career with a second loss in the Capital One Bowl.

The deal is a bit more poignant for seniors, most of whom will never play again, even one featuring programs as steeped in talent and prestige as No. 13 LSU (9-3) and No. 11 Penn State (10-2). But there likely are no players on either roster who have ridden a steeper roller coaster than Tigers linebacker Harry Coleman and defensive tackle Charles Alexander.

The last time those two were in the Capital One Bowl, it was 2005, and they were poised to leave the field as freshmen who just won their first collegiate bowl game. Instead, on a miraculous 56-yard final pass from Iowa quarterback Drew Tate to wide receiver Warren Holloway, the Hawkeyes beat LSU 30-25 and sent Coach Nick Saban off to the Miami Dolphins a loser.

Two seasons later, LSU beat Ohio State in the BCS championship game at the Superdome, putting Coleman, who replaced injured Craig Steltz at safety in that game, and Alexander, whose season ended with a knee injury that season against South Carolina, at college football's emotional summit. The duo are part of a program that hasn't lost a bowl game since that Hawkeyes meltdown.

"Every day me and Charles will say something like, 'The last time we walked off this field, we lost,'" Coleman said. "And now me being a senior, I can't go out with a loss like that, because it would mean two losses coming in Orlando."

It has been a long and winding road for Alexander, who also missed considerable time due to injuries in his redshirt freshman season of 2005. He successfully petitioned the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility this season.

So thrilling has the ride been, Alexander didn't even mention the last-second debacle against Iowa.

"When I was a freshman, we came to the Capital One, and here I am," he said. "This is my last year here, and I'm having fun in Orlando -- just enjoying the festivities and the fellowship of my teammates."

The ending to his first Capital One Bowl experience was not a spoiler, Alexander said.

"I always wanted to come back. I always enjoyed this bowl besides the national championship," he said. "It was an insane, intense game against Iowa, and I'm expecting the same kind of game against Penn State."

Alexander, who is from Breaux Bridge, will finish his LSU career having appeared in 42 games with 28 starts, during which he made 86 tackles -- 6.5 for losses and with 4.5 sacks. Coleman has been even more productive. Although the Tigers finished 8-5 in 2008, Coleman led the team with 71 tackles.

New defensive coordinator John Chavis saw in Coleman the sort of hybrid athlete he likes at outside linebacker, however, and in a sudden move at the end of spring football, he moved Coleman from the secondary to linebacker. Coleman said he heard about the shift on a cell-phone call, but shrugged and played at his new spot.

He started all 12 games and had 77 stops, which ranked third on the team. He was the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against Auburn (nine tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for a losses and two forced fumbles in LSU's 31-10 win Oct. 24 at Tiger Stadium). At LSU's postseason banquet, he was chosen the team's most valuable player in 2009.

Coleman can be intimidating, but that didn't stop Chavis in August from describing him as "the kind of man you want your daughter to date."

That's off-field Coleman, his teammates said.

"He's one of the nicest big guys you'll meet off the field," junior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard said. "But on the field, he'll turn that switch on -- and he's a beast." Junior free safety Chad Jones said he never doubted his defensive backfield partner would excel at linebacker.

"When Harry moved, we all knew he could do it because he's a big, physical strong guy," Jones said. "We figured him moving down into the box wouldn't make a big difference in how he played, because he's a big hitter, and we knew he could stop the run pretty good. And he's also got some advantages against the pass, so it worked out perfect for our defensive scheme."

Those last two years were impressive enough to earn Coleman, from Baldwin, an invitation to next month's Senior Bowl, where he will return to safety, the position at which he sees his possible NFL future in the brightest terms. Surprisingly, however, he did not make All-SEC teams.

"There are some great linebackers ahead of me, but I had a good season," he said. "The team gave me the MVP. That's all the award I need."

LSU Coach Les Miles said he, too, saw no disrespect in Coleman's omission from All-SEC teams. Players such as Florida senior quarterback Tim Tebow and Alabama sophomore tailback Mark Ingram are easy selections, but the conference is deep with outstanding players at other positions.

"I don't know that the All-SEC team is exactly a true measure," Miles said. "I think there's a difficult measure at times with some other spots, and I certainly don't disagree with anyone who was picked ahead of him -- but I certainly like Harry Coleman for us."

And Friday against the Nittany Lions will be the last time Miles or anyone else associated with LSU football will enjoy the two as Tigers on the field.

"Finally, I see the end of the tunnel. Nothing ever lasts forever," Alexander said. "I've loved every minute of it. My teammates are like my brothers, and now I'm trying to enjoy every moment knowing there's only a couple of days left."

James Varney can be reached at jvarney@timespicayune.com or 504.717.1156.